14. Natural Weed Control
Wooly Weed Wackers
Sheep (and goats) have long
been used for weed control.
Their use has increased in
recent years because of the
need for biological control
agents in environmentally
sensitive areas. Sheep mostly
graze forbs (flowering plants)
Lambs grazing weeds and grass while goats prefer shrubs.
A plant considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome, especially one growing where it is not wanted, as in a garden. A plant considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome, especially one growing where it is not wanted, as in a garden.
The female plant shown in this picture produces huge numbers of seeds with cotton tufts that fly in the wind. Flowering period in Southern Arizona: September - February. Grows in disturbed soil. Desert Broom's flowering period in mid October offers an abundance of nectar and pollen:
As it rolls down a desert road, a Russian thistle plants do what they do best, disperse seeds, which typically number 250,000 per plant. Mice, bighorn sheep and pronghorn eat the tender shoots.
Habitat: Sandy places to 3000', creosote bush scrub, both deserts Blooming period: April to June, September to December
Pre-emergent implies controlling the weed, or weed seed, before it "emerges" or germinates. In actuality, some pre-emergents control the weed seed right after it germinates, by killing the young, delicate, emerging roots. Advantages of pre-emergence control. Pre-emergence control has several advantages over post-emergence control: *Pre-emergents control weeds during germination, so no unsightly dead foliage appears after the weeds die. * Weeds you pre-emergently control do not have the opportunity to produce seed. If you apply post-emergence herbicides late in the growth stage of a weed, it may already have produced viable seed. * Pre-emergence herbicides can control weeds for several months. Most post-emergence herbicides do not possess residual activity, so they do not control weeds germinating soon after application. Thus, you would require more frequent herbicide applications if you relied solely on post-emergence control.
